Together
by SlytherinRey
Summary: After the defeat of Snoke, Ben Solo is punished for his crimes. Rey cannot shut out his pain, his brokeness. She decides to do something drastic: run away with him. Her vow is to put him together, piece by piece. Grey!Rey and Ben. A bit of fluff, angst, and sex mixed together. Complete.
1. In Which Rey Feels Ben's Pain

Author's note: Star Wars does not belong to me. Reviews are like drops of water on a desert planet. This is my first Star Wars fic, so don't judge too harshly!

It has been a month since Rey and Kylo Ren defeated Snoke. She could still see the scene clearly. Her, standing over Ren, holding the lightsaber close to his throat. Snoke's cold laughter as he watched, expecting her to kill him. She should have killed him. He had killed Luke, Han, and thousands of innocents. But some impulse grabbed her, and she spoke through the bond. _Help me kill Snoke. I can't do it without you. There's hope for you, I know it._ To Snoke's shock, she helped Kylo Ren up. Together they defeated the guards surrounding Snoke. Two sabers pierced his body. Kylo Ren, or _Ben_ , as Rey learned he was called, was brought back to the Rebel Base and put on trial. However, no matter what strings Leia pulled, or how many times Rey told them about how he had helped her defeat Snoke, the masses still wanted justice. And so, he is sentenced to a life of imprisonment and torture. By torture, they mean making a droid inject him with drugs that emphasize his pain and shocking him over and over again. Rey wants to believe this is just. Afterall, she had seen first hand the wake of destruction he left behind. She would never forget Chewbacca's howls as Han spiraled into the darkness. But then again… she had seen the desperation in his eyes. The unbalance. How torn he was. Still, she feels there is nothing she can do now.

One day she makes the mistake of walking down the hallway of where he is enduring his punishment. She can hear him screaming. How she wants to believe he deserves it. And he does… thousands and thousands dead. Entire planets blown up. But she can't help but hurt. She walks away, shaking. _He deserves it, he deserves it,_ she chants. Maybe if she chants it long enough she will believe it. In the fresher, she turns the heat up and scrubs violently, but she feels more dirty than she ever did on Jakku. She lays down on her bed and shakes. She has nightmares.

 _She is in the desert again, walking past the AT-AT unit. It is like walking past a ghost. But she hears something inside. A sob. She goes in. He is lying there, shuddering on the ground, stripped down to his shorts. He looks up._

" _Oh God Rey, Rey…" he shivers. "Make it stop, make it stop."_

 _She inches closer, like coming near to an injured animal._

" _There is no escape, even in dreams I can feel the pain. Please Rey… please!" Another little sob leaves his throat._

 _She reaches down and touches his temple. He grabs her wrist. Rey tries to pull away but his grip is strong._

" _Rey, Rey… if you have any mercy at all, kill me. You can tell them I was trying to escape and you had to… make up something, anything! Please."_

 _His grip loosens and he reaches up to place his shaking hand on the side of her cheek. "Oh Rey, please."_

 _Those eyes are so dark, so filled with pain. And behind that, ghosts. The ghost of his father, and Snoke, and thousands of the dead._

" _I don't want to kill you, Ben." She whispers. To him, her voice is like a drop of rain in the arid land that surrounds him._

" _Rey, just make it stop. Please Rey. Promise me!"_

 _His eyes are so desperate, so beautiful. In that moment, she decides she will end his pain. He is like the little gadgets she encountered on Jakku. Broken._

With that thought, she wakes up. The force bond has become a torment to her. Their dreams are shared. His pain leaks over, spilling over her like hot desert sand. She wants to cool him with her touch. In that moment, she decides that she will fulfil her promise, whatever it takes. She will find a way.


	2. In Which Rey Does Something Rash

Author's Note: If you enjoy this story, please leave a review!

It is late one night when she breaks into his cell, using the force to open the multi-locked door. He is lying on the floor of the windowless room, looking just like he did in her dream. Mostly naked, broken. He senses her and opens his eyes.

"Rey, Rey," he rasps.

She leans down, just like in her dream. "I've come, Ben."

"Thank the Maker," he breathes, relaxing like a boneless fish. He waits. "Do it, Rey, do it." His words are calm. There is no fight in him at all.

"I can't kill you, Ben."

He looks up, horrified. "Rey," he gasps desperately, "Rey, you _promised_. You promised, Rey."

It is a testament to just how broken he is that his eyes well up. He is like a young boy again, a child. In that moment, Rey decides that she will do whatever it takes to put him back together again. Piece by piece, she will weld him together. She will abandon the Rebels. Finn, Poe, Leia, all her little makeshift family. She can't follow the Jedi ways. She will be neither dark nor light. She will give it all up to take him away and mend him.

"We're leaving this place forever Ben. I'll put you back together. I'll give you what you need. I'll be yours, and you will be mine."

He looks baffled at this statement, looking at her like she has grown another head. He doesn't resist when she helps him up and puts a cloak around his bare shoulders. Or when they sneak down to the Millennium Falcon. It is hard work getting there, with him leaning heavily on her. A few times she has to cloak them with the force to prevent the guards from spotting them. But then they are there in the cockpit.

"Do you even know how to fly this thing?" Ben asks, skeptically.

"Yeah, I've done it before."

A long time ago. With his father. She feels sharp pain, reliving the moment when he was stabbed through. She can still see him falling. By the way Ben tenses, she knows her feelings have leaked through. Rey enters the coordinates to a system where the Rebels will never find them. There's a little backwater planet with cheap housing. It takes a long time to get there. As the hours slink by, Ben grows sleepier and sleepier. The next time she looks over, his eyes are closed and he is breathing deeply. Rey wants to sleep too, but stays up to fly the ship. She lands next to a ship yard.

"Ben, Ben, wake up," she says softly, carefully shaking him.

He looks out the window.

"Where are we?"

"Adavan."

"What the hell is Adavan?" He asks, looking perplexed.

"A planet they'll never find us on. " She hands him a dark blue long sleeved shirt and some jeans. "Here, put these on. I'm going to try to get a good deal on the ship."

"You're… you're selling the ship?" He looks stunned.

"Yes." She looks sad. "It's a sacrifice we'll have to make."

He looks at her, and can read in her eyes that those words have to do with more than just a ship. Ben goes to the back and puts the clothes on. When he comes out, Rey has to resist admiring how much nicer he looks when he's not dressed like a crazed megalomaniac. She lowers the gangplank. It's humid outside, and there is a strong tropical smell in the air. It is plants and salt water and life. A greyish creature with long, stringy limbs approaches them.

Ben looks apprehensive. "Do you even know how to speak their language?"

"Yeah, don't worry."

He watches on in surprise as she bargains heatedly with the creature. After twenty minutes of strong debate, the being hands Rey a stack of currency. She carefully counts them and nods to it. The being waves them over to a small transport shuttle. It is open air, just a small thing.

"Luckily they offered me a good price on this shuttle. The nearest house broker is several miles away. That would have been a real pain if we had to camp in the jungle for days," Rey comments as they get in.

"How do you…" he pauses, not knowing where to start.

She starts the shuttle up, and begins cruising along.

"It's weird, really. There was this magazine I had. It showed different places around the galaxy, giving snapshots of the culture and weather and such. When I saw this place, I wanted to go there more than anywhere. It was so green and beautiful. I pretended I would, and I prepared for it, even though I didn't really believe I would go there. I did that with a few places. The very green places."

"But how did you learn the language?"

"One of the old ship databases. I didn't pick up a huge amount, but it was a hobby for me. At night, or when it was too hot to scavenge, I would practice four different languages."

The shuttle cut through some thick rainforest, and they glimpsed colorful birds and lots of weird flowers. Then it pushed out onto the beach. The water was clear, and small fish were jumping out.

"Ohhh, I think I saw a Karna!" Rey said, leaning over and pointing.

Her face lit up as she smiled. It was like drinking in the sun, Ben thought. Her name was fitting after all. Rey… sunlight.

"So, is there a plan, or is this just an impulse decision?"

"There's a plan, don't worry."

"And what would that be?"

"To stay here as long as we want to. Which may be forever."

"You're not going back, then."

"No."

"And what about me? How am I involved?" His voice was soft, unsure.

"You're staying with me, so I can keep an eye on you. Even with that," she said, pointing to his force-inhibiting bracelet, "and without the First Order, I have a feeling you could still cause some trouble. I've taken it upon myself to make sure that doesn't happen. And to take care of you."

"Take care of me?"

"Yeah. You need someone." She looked into his eyes seriously. "You need _me_. You're broken. I'm going to put you back together."

"I… I don't know if that's possible," he replied, looking away from the intensity in her gaze.

"It is. I've spent all of my life putting things together." They were silent for a while.

Finally, she said, "Don't you know what you're going to do?"

"What am I going to do?"

"Remember what you said to me? You said you could see my loneliness. And I can see yours too. You're going to be my companion. So I won't be lonely."

He looked surprised at that. "Strange companion you've chosen. A mass murderer." Shame laced his voice.

She gently turned his face to look at her. "Ben. I could feel there was _light_ in you. I can _still_ feel it. Yes, there is darkness too. There is a bit in me too. But I won't let it control you, and I won't let it control me."

"So you'll no longer be a Jedi, then."

"And you will no longer be a Sith. "We'll be just us. Ben and Rey."

He looks hesitant, but replies, in a soft voice that could be mistaken for the passing wind, "Okay."


	3. In Which Rey Buys a House

Author's note: Please, please review! Reviews are my motivation for writing.

They arrive at the house broker's shop. It is owned by another one of the grey, lanky creatures. Inside there are lots of books and pamphlets, maybe tourist stuff. Its unnaturally long fingers hand over a stack of house profiles, and Rey shuffles through them, her brow knotted in concentration. Finally, she shows one to Ben.

"What about this one, Ben?"

"That… that seems fine to me." He manages, still feeling that he still might be in his cell, having a weird, drug induced dream. Because in no normal dream would his subconscious ever be able to concoct a scenario like this. Rey, the hero of the Rebel Alliance, defeater of Sith, running off to a far system with her enemy, picking out a house. It was bizarre, and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why she had done it. Rey handed the creature a large portion of her credits, and then also buys some of the books and pamphlets in the shop. The broker hands her an ornate key. Ben is still in a daze when they get back into the shuttle and drive east. Half an hour later, they arrive at the house. Really, it would be better described as a cottage. The outside is made of stone, and some sort of ivy trails up the sides. There is a wild little garden, with trellis and a variety of peculiar flowers and shrubs. Rey is particularly enchanted by a small tree that has clusters of purple flowers hanging heavily from it. Ben watches her, drinking in her reactions. Then she goes inside, and he follows her like a lost puppy. Rey excitedly goes from room to room, like a child unwrapping a Christmas gift. It is not a particularly large cottage, but has a cozy kitchen and dining room, a living room with an actual fireplace, two bathrooms, one with a shower and one that has a shower and bath. The one with the shower is connected to a bedroom with a large bed in the center. Ben belatedly realizes that this is the only bed in the house. She had said _companion_ , but he had not really understood what she had meant. She meant to live in small quarters with him? To share a _bed_? He didn't voice any of these realizations aloud.

"I love this place already. I don't think I'll ever want to leave." She flopped on the bed. "Oooh, it's so soft." She luxuriated for a moment, seeming to drink in the comfort. "Maker I'm tired, are you?"

"Yes," he replied.

She looked at him, and apparently catching on to just how lost he was, said, "Why don't you take a shower here, and I'll take one in the other one? Then sleep. Tomorrow we can figure out getting food and some new clothes.

"Alright."

He showed in a haze. It was almost like being out of body. He could barely feel the water on his skin. He finished much earlier than she did, and kept on his shirt and undershorts before sliding into the bed. Ben could feel Rey's enjoyment of the shower rippling through the bond. She was delighted at having so much clean water to herself. It was mostly dark in the room, but a hint of the two moons' lights filtered through the curtain, and he could see that she had stripped down to her chest binding and shorts. Her hair was down. She slipped beneath the covers and sighed. He could hear her breaths evening out. Finally, she was asleep. With her this close, he felt more at peace than he had in years. Despite his confusion at this turn of events, he felt, for the first time, that it would be alright. He slept without dreams. In his unconscious state, he could feel her glowing presence warming him.


	4. In Which Ben Has a Breakdown

Author's note: Reviews are like Rebel victories.

The next morning, Rey shook him awake. She was already dressed. "Hey sleepy, you feeling well enough to go for a little adventure?"

He looked around. So it wasn't a dream. Ben sat up, then flopped back down, holding his head. The room was spinning.

"I guess that's a no. Okay, well I'm going to see if I can find us some food."

She cheerfully flounced out of the room.

Ben lay there and just took in everything that had happened. It was strange not waking up in space. He was used to stale filtered air, not humid air that positively _thrummed_ with life. Even on his travels with his parents… oh Maker. His father. He gasped, rolling over and clutching the sheets. "Just come home…" he had said. And he had killed him, believing he would find peace. Snoke had promised that was the way to bring silence to his ghosts… that all he needed to do was truly embrace the darkness. But it had not worked. He had just been more torn. For no matter how many planets he blew up, he still felt the call to the light. He had tried being a Jedi. He had tried being a Sith. There was no answer. Despair rolled through him in waves. He shook uncontrollably. Thousands dead. He had not really wanted to kill them, but Snoke had promised silence, promised _peace._ But Rey… Rey had said, "We'll be just us. Ben and Rey." What had she meant? Maybe… just maybe there was hope after all. Despite this thought, he still felt his past mistakes running through his head over and over again, like an endless loop. Finally, he grew exhausted. But then, just as sleep began to creep up on him again, he could feel the pain from the droid, injecting him with those drugs that made every electrical shock worse. He didn't want to be alone. He wanted Rey to come back. He spiraled further and further, until he was nothing but a quaking mess, shuddering violently.

" _Ben," came Rey's panicked voice through the bond, "what's happening?"_

He was too much of a disaster to respond. Ten minutes later she rushed in, throwing bags to the ground. She ran over, looking at his face. "Ben? Ben? What's wrong?"

Ben gasped. "Rey… help me..."

She sat on the bed and cradled his head, stroking his hair. "Tell me what's wrong Ben."

"I can feel them… the ghosts… and the pain, all the pain…"

Rey continued stroking his head. Ben was reminded of the way his mother used to do the same when he couldn't fall asleep.

Rey laughed softly. "Already comparing me to your mother?"

Now that she was touching him, he begin to feel calm again. He could feel her light flowing through the bond, replacing the regret and pain, the dark emptiness.

"Ben, what you did was wrong, but you're not going to be that person anymore. You were desperate, desperate. I can still feel that desperation. You thought you had to choose the light or the dark. You know, one of the last things Luke told me," she paused, seeing Ben unsettled.

He looked away, feeling a stab of guilt at this, thinking of his saber burning in his uncle's middle, the look of peace on Luke's face as he closed his eyes and crumpled on the ground.

"He told me that there was another way. He told me that he had been wrong, that it was time for both the Jedi and the Sith to end. That the way to ballance was not with a Jedi takeover, but for people to accept that they were neither dark or light, they were grey."

Ben looked at her, surprised at his uncle's words.

"I can help you, Ben. Help you balance yourself. I'm going to stay with you."

He moved away a bit, embarrassed at his breakdown. She let him.

"What do you want from me, Rey?"

"I just want to be here with you. You and I are so alike. We are lost stars in the galaxies who have collided with the help of the force. We were brought together for a reason."

Ben just stared her for a while, taking her words in.


	5. In Which Rey and Ben Finally Do It

Author's note: Reviews make the world go 'round.

Rey begins own little business of fixing things. The Makora, as Ben learns the grey creatures are called, bring their electronic gadgets to her. Eventually, she opens a little shop. Sometimes, they bring speeders and transporters. She patiently teaches him how to fix things. When he gets it right, she gifts him with smiles that warm his soul. He grows calmer and calmer. Her presence replaces the fear and anger. Sometimes, at night, he still dreams about the ghosts and the droid.

One night, he shudders, the pain flowing through him again. "Please… stop…" he whimpers.

Rey turns over and shakes him. "Ben… Ben… it's alright. I'm here."

He jerks awake and clings to her, hot tears soaking her sleep shirt. Her hands weave through his hair. By and by he stops shaking. He breathes again. Deep, healthy breaths, full of humid air. Rey cups his face and _Maker_ kisses him. It is so gentle and soft.

"Better?" She murmurs.

She has once again, done what she does best. Surprised him. In that second, he wants nothing more that the feel of her mouth against his. And so he kisses her, his lips dancing with hers. They grow more and more passionate. The bond flows between them, warm and strong, driving all his demons away. Driving her loneliness away. She gasps as he slides his mouth down to her neck. He mouths it at the pulse point, and it as if he can feel her entire being right there. She clutches his curls, and softly groans as he laves it. Then she is pulling his face up to kiss him, deep and searching.

"Why Rey? Why did you leave them?" He rasps out.

"Because I couldn't stop _caring_ about you, Ben. I care… I care so much. I want you here with me forever. Your soul and my soul, intertwined. I have never felt more at peace than with you. We are _meant_ for each other. We fit perfectly together. Mine… now and always."

With those words, he can stand it no longer. He realises he must worship her. And so he starts. He kisses her deeper than even before, and pushes all of his passion through the bond. She gasps, reeling at the sensation. Then he pulls off her sleep shirt, and smoothes his hands up and down her sides. Carefully, he pulls her chest binding over her head. Her nipples are large, but shrink in the cold. Gently, he holds them in his hand. She groans deeply. His tongue flicks out and he slides it across one nipple, then the other. And then, _ah, glorious sensation_ , he puts his whole mouth on her breast while kneading the other. She keens, stroking his back. Then, her insistent hands are pulling _his_ shirt off. Rey pushes him back onto the bed, straddling him.

"Ben, say it. Say it, Ben."

"Say what?" he manages out she draws her tongue against his nipple.

"Tell me you're mine and that I'm yours."

"Oh Rey," he groans, "I'm all yours."

"And you're mine," she reminds him.

"And you're mine."

She reaches down, putting her soft hand past his waistband. He can't stop the shameless moan that escapes his lips. She helps him kick the shorts and underwear completely off.

"You have far too many clothes on," he manages, sitting up and mouthing her ear. Together they slide off her shorts. His long, elegant fingers touch her, right where she wants them to.

"Oh Ben, don't stop."

"Rey, Rey, I am yours for as long as you want."

She keens low as his fingers circle her clit incessantly. Through the bond he can sense just how much pressure she likes. Her wetness slips along his cock as she grinds down. Ben is a helpless, moaning mess.

"Rey," he chokes, "Rey, please."

And just like back at the base, she is unable to resist his pleas.

"Lay back," she commands.

He obeys. He would do anything she wanted to. She owns him. Her hands interlink with his, and she pushes them into the mattress as she slowly, tantalizingly lowers herself. A little sob escapes him. She moans.

"Rey… you have undone me," he says as she starts a rhythm up.

"Not undone… completed. Like you complete me."

The bond surges, brighter than it has ever surged before. Their coupling is hot, sweaty, and desperate. Neither of them last long, so intense is the pleasure. When the come together, he has never felt more whole.

"My goddess, my darling," Ben whispers and they collapse into a messy heap of intertangled limbs.

"Mine," she says, kissing him again.

At last, Ben Solo believes he will be whole again. Piece by piece, she will put him together.


	6. Epilogue

Author's Note: Review and I might write another Rey/Ben story!

It is hard, but they learn to live a life of peace. Sometimes they sit on the edge of the beach, listening to the waves as the tide comes in. Sometimes they go to watch the strange Makora ceremonies, which are full of mystery and smoke and starlight. One day, in the middle of a particularly passionate lovemaking session, Ben's force inhibiting bracelet falls off. It doesn't change things, really, now that they trust each other. It does make their bond stronger than ever. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, Ben wakes up to find her half of the bed empty. He sees her looking out the window at the stars, thinking about the people she left behind for him. There is a touch of sadness. "Come back to bed, Rey," he murmurs. And she always does. He hooks his arm around her waist and draws her close to him, and then she isn't so sad. She finds that home is where her heart is. And her heart is firmly linked with his. He is her home. Together, they learn how to garden. Sometimes they swim in the ocean with the silver jumping fish. And they are content. They are whole. Together.


End file.
